Inhofe's last stand

onNov 29, 2006 @ 15:15 PST

Sources are telling DeSmog that on Dec. 6th a last and final attack on climate change science and the media will be mounted by Sen. James Inhofe, outgoing chair of the Envrionment and Public Works Committee .

For his final committee comedy act, Inhofe has proposed an interesting line-up of witnesses, all of them, unsuprisingly, close to the fossil fuel industry-backed war on science. First up will be Dr. Bob Carter an Australian who’s affiliations include the fossil fuel industry friendly (and funded ) Institute of Public Affairs. Second up is David Deming, an “adjunct scholar” for the National Centre for Policy Analysis which has recieved $390,000 from ExxonMobil. And finally, the rumour is that Inhofe’s final witness will be Dan Gainor who has absolutely no background in climate science, unless you include his commentary on the subject for the ExxonMobil sweetheart, the Business and Media Institute.

So there you have it folks, one last kick at the can and Inhofe continues to drive his head further in the sand. Inhofe, if you’re reading this, or Marc Morano (Inhofe’s communications flak), who I know reads us, here’s your very last chance to somewhat redeem yourself. Pull your head out of the sand, and call some scientists to testify that are not known mouthpieces for the oil-industry war on science. Heck, give me a call and I will give you some names. Or cancel your three-ring circus and go quietly into the night, you’ve done enough damage already.

Quick kudos to blogger Frank O’Donell for being first out the gate on this one.

By Kevin Grandia

Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmog. He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a “Green Hero” by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the “Top 50 Tweeters” on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning. Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin’s research into the “climate denial industry” and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch’s massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks. Kevin is the first person to be designated a “Certified Expert” on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder. Prior to DeSmog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health. In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world’s best e-Content and innovative ICT applications. Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.